Rhinoceroses. 61 



on its passage." The following are examples of 

 the stories to which we refer. 



One veracious author informs us that ft a full- 

 grown rhinoceros measures fourteen feet from the 

 ground to the highest part of the back, and the 

 legs are so remarkably short that, with all this 

 height, the belly comes near the ground." It is, 

 perhaps, hardly surprising that an animal of this 

 immense size should be able to " toss up a large 

 bull/' as we are told the " old ones " were in the 

 habit of doing whenever opportunity offered. 



From another source we gather that the rhino- 

 ceros the African black rhinoceros, apparently, in 

 this case was most distinctly an animal to be 

 avoided, as " when he attacks a man he lays hold 

 of the middle of his body, and throws him over his 

 head with such force that he is almost always 

 killed with the fall. This done, he come and licks 

 him, and his tongue is so rough and hard that it 

 brings off the flesh from the bones. He likewise 

 serves other animals in the same manner after he 

 has killed them." This being so, it is reassuring 

 to learn that Cf he very rarely attacks mankind, 

 unless he is provoked or meets with a person with 

 a red garment," and that "when he is seen 

 running along, it is pretty easy to avoid him, 

 because he cannot turn about very readily, so that 

 when he is about eight or ten feet distant, a man 

 needs only go one side, and then he will be out 

 of his sight." The rhinoceros, however, though so 

 fierce and untameable, had apparently one soft 



